Central Park

Please note: This event has already taken place. Please use the Search options on the right to find upcoming events.

Femi Kuti & The Positive Force have blended Funk, Jazz, and African Folk throughout their 27 year career to create a colorful and distinctive sound in the music world. The records tell their story: After a short spell at Motown, Femi Kuti took on the Afrobeat sound with his first international album in 1998 Shoki Shoki, before rubbing shoulders with the modern urban style of his American peers such as Mos Def and Common on the album, Fight To Win. In 2004 he opened The Shrine, the club where he recorded the live album Africa Shrine. He re-emerged in 2008 with Day by Day and Africa for Africa in 2010, for which he received two GRAMMY nominations. In 2012 he was both inducted into the Headies Hall of Fame (the most prestigious music awards in Nigeria) and was the opening act on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ European Tour.

Ahmed Gallab, the Sudanese-born multi-instrumentalist and founder of Sinkane, came to the US with his family at age five and then continued to move around until he was 18, when he settled in Columbus, OH. There, he became part of the city’s hardcore Punk scene. Before making a record of his own, Gallab was best known for lending his musical talents to the likes of Yeasayer, Caribou, and Of Montreal. His music reflects the geographic span of his travels. Mars, his debut was released in 2012. NPR said of the record and its use of collaborations: “Each appearance, like each instrument, is deftly placed by Gallab and used by the artist to help realize his vision rather than merely round out his credits sheet. The result is a body of work that sings on many levels, yet remains tethered to one confident voice.”

King Britt is a producer, composer, performer and curator of electronic music. As a producer/composer, Britt fuses his knowledge of music history from many cultures and genres with electronic compositions, which redefine and re-contextualizes the past into the present. Britt has remixed and produced many diverse artists including Miles Davis, Femi Kuti, Angelique Kidjo, King Sunny Ade as well as scoring commercials for Rolex and L’oreal Paris. From cutting his craft as the wax poetic for the GRAMMY Award winning Digable Planets to traveling solo in different cities and countries, Britt is bringing cultures together through his eclectic taste and live improvised dance/experimental sets.